Guys was an A$$ and a roid head but he was one of the best ever... By Ben Nicholson-Smith [December 9, 2009 at 11:37pm CST] It's not a retirement, but Barry Bonds won't play again. Agent Jeff Borris told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that a return to baseball this year is "nearly impossible" for the all-time home run leader. "If there was any chance he'd be back in a major-league uniform, it would have happened by now," Borris said. It's an anti-climactic ending to one of the greatest careers ever. Bonds won seven MVPs, eight Gold Gloves, made 14 All-Star teams and is the all-time leader in homers and walks. He stole 514 bases and posted a career line of .298/.444/.607. Allegations of PED use and a reputation for surliness stain an otherwise spectacular career. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/12/agent-bonds-wont-play-again.html
Even w/o the roids he would have been a 500/500 guy maybe even 600//500 guy. Kind of sad how he ruined his legacy.
Bonds took way too much heat considering he was not the only one cheating. That being said. Anyone who cheats should not be allowed in the Hall. Cheating is Way worse than betting. But, then again, that is why I am not a fan of baseball. Fans don't seem to care about cheaters.
Fans don't control what happens to cheaters. In fact every time Bonds played outside of SF he was booed horribly. The same happens to A-Rod and every other confirmed steroid user. And fans and writers do care about cheating. There is a reason Mark Mcgwire has never gotten close to reaching the hall.
The cheating has to have some effect on viewership and attendance. Turns the appreciative fan into a casual fan into a part time fan, like myself. Now the league leader "only" hitting 45 homers isnt compelling. No closers on an unreal saves streak, no brand name super stars at the end of their careers giving it one last push with winning ERA titles, same big market teams buying their titles (though there really has been exceptions). Those things are exciting any year they happen, but now the thought is 90% of the previous 15 years accomplishments happened by cheating. Why should the next compelling story be considered authentic? Sure a real baseball fan is still into it big, but when even the guys thatd neeeeever do it get caught and suspended, its just going to leave an effect. I didnt think I'd be a baseball bandwagoner, but thanks Bonds and others for making me get closer to that.
I still hate Dierker for walking him for 25 straight innings before finally giving him an at bat in the 8th on the third game, where he tied Big Mac. Juiced or not, he should have broken that record at MMP.
What do you think should be the required evidence that someone cheated? Admission? Suspicion? MLB didn't test for so long that you have no way of knowing for sure who cheated, except in a few rare cases.
I don't know about EVERYTHING related to him. I'm no fan of Barry, but one could very easily argue that he was HOF bound before he started the PED. Was he 'roided out? Of course. Was he a jerk? Absolutely. But let's not pretend that he wasn't a phenominal, once-in-a-lifetime baseball player, drugs or no drugs. He most definitely was. Now, whether or not he should get into the HOF, that's a different story. Personally, since there has never been 100% conclusive evidence that he knowingly did PED, I don't see how he can be denied the HOF. But I don't think it will happen until he is on his deathbed, or possibly posthumously. I think it will take a long time for the fans of baseball to forgive/forget his actions and attitude.
